Amid all the acrobatics on offer at the sixth and most successful festival Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival to date, the highlight had to be the eagerly-awaited Guy Clark concert at the Longford Arms Hotel. Warmly and effortlessly delivered, his inestimable rattle-bag of songs were rapturously received by a reverential packed house.
Accompanied by ace guitartist Verlon Thompson, Clark proved to be a master storyteller in the Texan shanachie style. Highlights included ‘LA Freeway’, ‘Desperadoes’, the whimsical ‘Tornado Time In Texas’, a stunning version of ‘Immigrant Eyes’, ‘Boats To Build’ and the Kristofferson-esque ‘Magdalene’. Clark even does mawkish with wit and style.
The show kicked off with the Niall Toner Band in fine fettle. Toner comes across as a convincing doyen of bluegrass, yet he and his cohorts sing in their own voices and they write songs that fit the genre like a second skin.
Stand-outs included ‘Bill Monroe’s Mandolin’, ‘The Master’s Resting Place’, the biblical ‘Walk On Water’ and Clem O’Brien’s ‘The Cheating Side Of Town’. The Gerry O’Connor Trio brought the banjo back to pole position, plucking magic from their instruments that set up up nicely for the “banjaree” finale in which just about every banjoker in the county crammed onto the stage, with Rick Epping reduced to crawling on his knees to get his harmonica to a mike.
Elsewhere over the weekend the electrifying performance of the Catalan Lluis Gomez Quartet in Market Square, especially their sizzling harmonica player, suggested that this music reaches new heights when served outdoors. Cathy Jordan brought her puckish wit to bear in her performances wth both Unwanted and Dervish, and acts like Carter Brothers Band and the Nashville Bluegrass Band were the real deal.
Meanwhile, Niamh Parsons staked her claim as arguably the finest voice on the current trad scene. All in all, another triumph of musical taste and business organisation for Chris Keenan and Kathy Casey.